It was the day before their next game and they were all working out outside. When Adam "defended" Julie so-to-speak when Portman called her "babe", Jesse had to say he both was and wasn't surprised. That was definitely an "Adam" thing to think, he always wanted to defend people when they were being disrespected or taken advantage of, but Adam was always too timid to ever voice his opinions. Jesse figured it was the anger they all were feeling that was making them so high-strung that caused Adam to actually say something.
This tension was also probably what led the the resultant fight that broke out.
Before long, though, the guy who had been haunting them, particularly Jesse, showed up again, challenging them to a game of street hockey. Jesse, being who he was, spoke up against him and they all eventually went down to South Central and played a game.
When Jesse blurted out that the guy stalking them "had a big mouth", it seemed every member of the team was scared he had finally done it; that something bad was going to happen.
Though Adam slightly felt this fear, his mood had finally been brightened. This was Jesse.
The game revitalized them, reminding them of a few things they seemed to have temporarily forgotten.
They were all brought back to reality, however, when that night at their game, Coach didn't show up.
Luckily, Charlie, being the true captain he was, got the idea to have Miss MacKay pose as their coach, and thankfully he was able to convince her.
When Bombay finally did show up, Jesse, still feeling resentful, tried to ignore him and carry on the game. Coach was able to get them all to come in, though, and after he apologized, they were all heading in the right direction, training again and analyzing their opponents.
The only problem left was Adam's wrist.
When Adam came back to his and Jesse's room after his talk with Coach and getting his wrist x-rayed, he was still upset. He couldn't bring himself to tell Coach that the reason his stomach was in knots and he was so determined to play wasn't like his had been. It wasn't that his dad worked so hard that it was a big deal when he could make it to a game. It was that playing and winning were what his dad demanded of him. It was what was expected.
Jesse, of course, knew all this from all the talks they had, so when Adam told him that Coach was benching him, he pulled him into a hug and told him that it was okay, that this way his wrist would heal.
Secure in Jesse's arms, Adam at last let himself relax.
He believed him.
Jesse started with his research the next day.
Making up a lie that he was going to help Goldberg practice defending, Jesse headed down to the library and looked up all he could find on ways to speed healing of wrist injuries similar to Adam's. He came back to their room and confessed to Adam where he had been.
Adam knew that he shouldn't have been surprised, but he was still amazed that Jesse cared about him so much.
Apparently, there were exercises they could do to help strengthen his wrist and speed the process along. They began doing the exercises every night before they went to sleep.
With Adam still technically out, however, Charlie got the idea to bring in Russ Tyler, the one who had been stalking them since they had arrived in California. They had gotten to deal with and kind of like each other when they had played that game of street hockey, but Jesse still had to laugh at the irony of Charlie, his best friend since they were in preschool, bringing in the guy who had been annoying the hell out of him lately.
It was finally the day of the big game. When Adam woke up that morning, he immediately noticed a lack of pain in his wrist. Not wanting to wake Jesse, he ran out to the communal bathrooms and rotated his wrist, his eyes widening as he felt no pain. He ran back to his and Jesse's room, a huge grin splitting his face, but then quietly slipped back into bed, deciding that he'd rather surprise Jesse later.
Jesse felt the movement, though, and groggily asked what was going on.
"Nothing. Go back to sleep," Adam responded quietly, trying to keep his excitement hidden.
"Is your wrist okay?" Jesse asked, worried it may have gotten worse.
Adam, loving yet even more proof of how caring Jesse was by nature, couldn't keep the smile from his face this time.
"Yes. It's fine."
That night, he walked into the locker room, eager to show the team his vast improvement.
When he showed Coach, Jesse was ecstatic. All those nights of working with his wrist had paid off. But when Coach told Adam that they had a full roster, Jesse immediately turned to Russ, refusing to let Adam sit their final game out after how hard he had worked and knowing how much he wanted to play.
But when Charlie gave up his spot, Jesse had to smile. He knew he and Charlie were best friends for a reason.
Then the game started and although they were still getting kicked around by Iceland pretty hard, it wasn't nearly as bad as their first game against them had been. When the coach called for him, Guy , and Russ, Jesse had a fleeting thought about his brother. He wished he could be there. The original "Oreo line".
When Coach called Adam to the ice, Jesse was worried, but he knew Adam had worked hard so he could play; he'd just make sure he'd protect Adam at every opportunity.
So when he saw Adam get hit again, he was pissed at himself for not being able to do anything in time.
After Adam came to the bench and everyone stopped talking to him, Jesse simply looked over at him.
As if feeling his eyes on him, Adam turned toward Jesse and it was then that Jesse could see it in his eyes. Adam really was okay.
After Coach Bombay gave the team a talk and they put on their new uniforms, they all felt rejuvenated.
Jesse and Adam both felt good to be Ducks again, especially Jesse, and Adam knew it. He could see it on his face.
They were able to tie the game up, which led to a shootout.
Jesse was the first up. When he made his shot, Adam was beyond proud. He did have to chuckle to himself, though. Jesse made it look easy.
When it was time for Adam to take his shot, he hesitantly tested his wrist. He couldn't feel any pain, but he was still worried. He looked over to the bench and saw everyone giving him encouraging, reassuring looks, but it was Jesse who he focused on. The look in his eyes said, "We worked on this. Don't worry. You got this."
Finally feeling like he was ready, Adam nodded to himself and took a final breath before starting. When he made his shot, one emotion ran through him.
Relief.
When they won, they gave the flag to Adam to wave in victory, but he passed it on to Charlie as a thank-you for giving up his spot on the team for him.
They all traveled back to Minnesota together, where they would stay for one more night of celebrating before the new Ducks would return to their various hometowns. As they packed up their dorm room, both Jesse and Adam were sad to leave, only because they wouldn't be able to spend each night together anymore. As Jesse zipped up his bag, he watched Adam, who was still getting his stuff together. Once he was done, he turned around and they stared at each other silently.
Letting out matching reluctant breaths, they walked towards each other and met in a tight hug.
"This is gonna suck."
Jesse had to laugh. He loved when Adam used words that weren't necessarily bad, but weren't expected of "his kind".
"I know," he responded. "But we'll work it out. We will. I promise."
"I know. I just...I mean...I've gotten used to falling asleep with you every night."
"I know. Me too. Don't worry. We'll figure something out."
"Okay," Adam finally relented. He pulled back and placed his lips firmly against Jesse's, who eagerly returned the kiss, swiping his tongue across Adam's bottom lip, which eagerly opened in acceptance.
When they at last broke apart, Jesse looked up with glazed eyes and took a breath in an attempt to calm himself down.
"Okay. Let's go."
They both grabbed their stuff and headed out, away from California and their self-made haven.
When they got back to Minnesota, Jesse was happy to see his father and his brother, both of whom he had missed greatly. They both told him how proud they were and how well he did.
Adam's father told him he was proud of him and that he played great. His brother told him he did well and then left, while his mother fussed over his injury, though Adam suspected this had more to do with her needing to do things mothers were "supposed to do" and less with her really worrying about his well-being.
That night, as they sat around the campfire, celebrating their victory, Adam and Jesse sat side-by-side, as close as possible, and enjoyed what they knew would be that last time they would have easy access to each other for a while.
TBC